Olivier Poncin, a French industrialist and entrepreneur in the boating and yachting industry, died on Sunday, May 14, 2023, at his home, following a long illness, at the age of 68.

Olivier Poncin, a major French industrialist, passed away this Sunday in Perpignan (South of France).
 
An extraordinary character, a serial entrepreneur we would say today, who in 35 years of activity, will have profoundly marked the French but also the world nautical industry.
 
Discreet, hard-working, innovative, accessible, simple, shunning the media, adored by his troops, Olivier Poncin was the president of Catana Group, the world's number two in the pleasure catamaran market, well known through its brands Catana and Bali. A group that employs nearly 1,500 people, with a turnover of 150 million euros, a profit of 17 million, and an order book of 450 million. 
 
Olivier Poncin created this group in 2003, when he took over the Catana shipyard in Canet en Roussillon at the bar of the commercial court. This shipyard was in great difficulty, had a turnover of 30 million euros, employed 300 people and generated 15% losses!
 
In just 20 years, through hard work, rigor, listening to the market, industrial organization and innovation, Olivier Poncin has transformed a niche shipyard into a leading group, with 5 production sites, profitable, growing strongly, offering a range of innovative catamarans, acclaimed by the market.
 
It must be said that Olivier Poncin was a rather unique character in the world of boating, mastering perfectly all the parameters of his profession, whether industrial, financial or product!
 
As the grandson of industrialists ruined by the war, he started building his first boat at the age of 16, in the attic of a friend's parents! After graduating from Sup Aero - aviation would be his second great passion - and from HEC, Olivier Poncin created his first company, in Saint Mandrier, in the sale of boats, even before the end of his studies, with a capital of 1500 euros. This company, Plaisance 2000, the first Kirie dealer in France, he sold it 7 years later with a capital gain allowing him to pursue his entrepreneurial adventures.
 
First of all, he bought Kirié, the first supplier of Plaisance 2000 that Olivier Poncin knows well. 
 
Kirié was a well-known pleasure boat builder from Vendée, active for more than 40 years, and in need of a succession. With this acquisition, Olivier Poncin went from manager to industrialist: a revelation! In 5 years, he doubled the workforce and tripled the turnover, before selling the flourishing business to his partners. 
 
For a while, he thought of leaving the nautical industry, but his passion took over! In 1988, he bought Dufour, a former major shipyard in La Rochelle taken over by Baron Bich at the end of the 1970s, which was very involved in the America's Cup race. 
 
This flagship of French industry was a shadow of its former self, on the verge of disappearing.
 
In 12 years, the company's activity took off again, its workforce grew from 30 to nearly 1,000 people, and its sales rose from €3 million to €100 million. At the time, Dufour was the third largest boat builder in the world in its category, and it almost took over Jeanneau, which was eventually bought by Bénéteau.
 
Olivier Poncin has had his share of ups and downs in his career, with the loss of control of Dufour to partner investment funds, when a reorganization plan was implemented, or when Catana was struggling and he had to sell his family home to pay salaries....
 
Each time, he knew how to bounce back, by mixing a real risk-taking with a great talent of financier, industrialist and product man.
 
An industrialist who was capable - in his head - of breaking down the cost structure of all the boats in his shipyard, of talking strategy on a Sunday morning, on the phone, at 9:15 a.m., or of going down to the bottom of the ship's hold, in a suit and without fuss, to see if the instructions were being properly applied.
 
A few years ago, Olivier Poncin, wishing to take a step back and prepare his succession, had reorganized the Group, strengthened its governance and entrusted strategic projects to his son Aurélien, in particular the new Portuguese factory. He wanted to be able to enjoy life and sail on his boat: a Bali.
 
The bad luck decided otherwise.
 
With your serious air of a first in class a little distracted, your brain always on the alert, your great capacity of listening, your old France elegance, your dry humor, your salt crust bar and your XXL barbecue, Olivier, we will miss you.
 
May your new navigations be beautiful l'Ami....